Engineering Chemicals

Fungus Revolutionizes Fireproofing: A Sustainable Solution for Building Cladding

Long Read

In a groundbreaking development, researchers have discovered a sustainable method to fireproof buildings using fungi. The team at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, has developed mycelium panels, a network of fungal strands that can thrive on organic waste and in darkness. The mycelium sheets are created by chemically...

Revolutionizing Temperature Regulation: Albotherm’s Smart Coating Technology

Long Read

In the quest for sustainable solutions, Albotherm, a spin-out from the University of Bristol, has developed an innovative temperature-responsive coating for greenhouses. This advanced polymer technology, designed to coat glass, reacts to external temperature changes, transitioning from transparent to white. This automatic adjustment allows buildings and greenhouses to...

How story of how science fiction predicted modern high-tech developments in chemistry

Deep Dive

Real-world technology is often foretold by science fiction. In 1927, characters in the film Metropolis made video calls to each other. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry hung flat-screen colour monitors on the walls of the Enterprise decades before we did the same in our living rooms. The most...